Monthly Archives: July, 2007

I am shamelessly stealing the idea for this from The Rose of the Prophet trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

The pantheon is designed somewhat using an icosahedron (a d20). There are twenty gods, each defined by three attributes or primary influences (which color the personality and goals of the god). Good, Evil, Love, War, and so on.

This seems almost made for a pantheon design system using clerical domains, doesn’t it?

(It could make use of portfolios instead, but when working semirandomly I like to assign portfolios based on the domains rather than the reverse because I think it leads to more interesting combinations. Also, the models described below can lead to a single porfolio being split between many gods, leading to many gods with the same domains modeling them.)

Another idea inspired by fiction, this one is based on the Dance of the Rings series by Jane S. Fancher (I’ve only ever found three books; there’s a fourth book in the works).

In this series there are ‘leythium nodes’, places of power. Leythium seems to be a form of plotdevicium, so there really isn’t much detail about how it works or what it does, beyond “these are places of power”. I’ve inferred the following:

A leythium node is a place of power.

Nodes may have different powers available (one is known for healing).

Nodes have different natural levels of power.

A node may be ‘capped’, there is a method for controlling (or at least making use of) the power of a node.

Capping a node requires a certain degree of skill; more powerful nodes are harder to cap.

Capped nodes may be linked to each other, increasing the power available to those who make use of the nodes.

As a capped node becomes more linked, the area affected by the node gets bigger.

The person who controls a capped node (the Ringmaster, named after the rings of the device that governs the capped node, and the links to that node) can make rather direct use of the power of the node.

Now, aware that the leythium nodes of Dance of the Rings are a plot device more than a gaming element, I’m going to try to come up with some rules to model the observations made above.

Geography

The Eye of Fire is a caldera lake over an active volcano. From above it is almost perfectly circular, a deep blue (except for some red of magma visible at the bottom), and steaming hot. It is said to be a holy site of the good god of the elements.

The Brotherhood of the Eye is an obscure order of paladins. Their headquarters is in the caldera, about a quarter mile from the shore of the lake. Their major rituals (including investiture) usually involve immersion in the lake.

Game Mechanics

It is hot in the caldera.

Within 100 feet of the shore of the lake is considered “severe heat” (above 110 degrees F).

Within 1000 feet of the shore of the lake is considered “very hot” (above 90 degrees F).

The Brotherhood’s headquarters is close enough to the lake to be uncomfortable to live there (until you get used to it), but not dangerous.

There are places around the lake that qualify as “extreme heat” (over 140 degrees F).

It is also hot in the lake. A splash hurts (but does no damage), immersion deals 4d6 scalding damage per round. The water gets hotter toward the bottom of the lake (at the bottom it is considered “boiling” and does 10d6 scalding damage per round).

During the rituals of the Brotherhood of the Eye, key participants in the ritual enter the water. Those in good standing with their god are protected from the heat and emerge with reddened but undamaged skin. Those who are not in good standing take damage normally.

The caldera has an affinity for holy and elemental magics. Items created here that have most of their enchantment coming from these groups have their base XP costs reduced by half.

Geography

Diamond Mist Falls is a waterfall so high that the water turns to mist before reaching the bottom. There seems to be some kind of elemental power here, though what kind is not entirely certain.

Game Mechanics

Spells cast in the mist at the bottom of the falls can waive any ‘diamond dust’ material components.

Magic items created using spells that require diamond dust, the XP requirement is halved.

Anyone who passes over the falls travels through a gate when entering the mists. There is no clear indication as to where the gate goes. Only someone who travels the entire length of the falls into the mist is gated; simply flying in or otherwise entering the mist does not work.

Geography

These plains are located fairly centrally to the nearby countries. The red, moist soil does not support very much plant life, in most places.

The Charnel Plains have been the site of many battles over the centuries. So much blood has been shed here that the ground itself now bleeds. There are a couple possible explanations (with different game mechanics). It is possible that both could apply, though perhaps in different areas.

Game Mechanics

Either or both of the sets of rules below may be in place here, I haven’t decided yet.

Life Has Taken Root

So much life has been lost here that some of it has actually been absorbed by the land itself. There are few plants here because the living soil eats them.

The Charnel Plains are in fact mildly postitive-dominant. All living creatures here gain fast healing 2 (but the increased sensation usually present in positive-energy dominant areas is not noticeable).

Unliving organic matter that remains in contact with the soil for more than a day is consumed by the soil (this includes corpses — leave a body on the ground for a day and it will be gone).

Inorganic matter is not consumed, but the soil tends to cover it fairly quickly (‘slowsand’, if you will).

The ground is quite soft.

In most places it should be treated as ‘light rubble’ — DC of Balance and Tumble checks increases by 2.

In some places the life force is greater and the ground is stickier. Treat as ‘dense rubble’ — DC of Balance and Tumble checks increases by 5, DC of Move Silently checks increases by 2, and it costs 2 squares of movement to enter each square. These areas are treated as major positive-dominant (again, except for increased sensation) — living creatures gain fast healing 5, and run the risk of overload if they remain in the higher-dominant area.

While the increased sensation normally present in positive-dominant areas is not particularly noticeable on the Charnel Plains, creatures can usually feel the difference (DC5 Spot check) in energy levels, and any with even a small amount of experience will discover the link between ‘stickier soil’ and ‘higher energy’. Anyone who spends a day here can be expected to have figured it out.

‘Pools’ are fairly uncommon — while there are low spots, the soil tends to suck up any liquid (blood, that is) that would normally accumulate. If one is found, treat as a ‘shallow bog’ (double cost to enter and DC of Tumble checks is increased by 2).

Anger Lives Here

So many battles have been fought here that the emotions have been absorbed by the land.

Any living creature that is wounded or makes a melee attack must make a Will save (DC probably varies by ‘local strength of land’, but start at DC14 (rage is a Wiz3 spell). Creatures who fail this save enter a Rage as a Barbarian of the same Hit Dice, except that the character cannot end the rage voluntarily.

Soil taken from certain locations (TODO: decide what location characteristics apply, but assume they’re deep in the Plains) has an affinity for blood-related magics (those that grant temporary hit points) and anger (anything that induces rage, hatred, and the like). Items made using the soil (either incorporating it or as part of the process) that have such effects as the primary enchantments have their base XP cost halved.

Geography

Storm Mountain is a high peak with unusually severe weather (blizzards in winter, thunderstorms in summer, storms and hurricanes almost any time).

Almost no one lives here. Mountains aren’t generally all that hospitable anyway, and where you’ve got lots of storms they’re even less so. However, here is a major temple of the storm god.

Game Mechanics

This is a fairly dangerous region to travel in. At the best of times there are irregular gusts of wind, and there are often storms (higher winds, poor visibility, lightning strikes, etc.). TODO: determine game effects of these things

The temple houses followers of the storm god. Clerics (obviously), but also monks and swordsages. TODO: work out a lightning/storm-themed discipline?

The large mineral deposits and frequent lightning strikes have led to the creation of storm metal (TODO: find a better name?). Treat as mithral (half-weight) with an affinity for storm/lightning/weather-related enchantment (if the primary enchantments on an item made of storm metal are related to these things, reduce the XP cost of enchantment by half).

“Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,–
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.”
–From Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15)

Smoke wafts above the canopy of the great forest, lit faintly red underneath by a distant fire, a sign the Burning Hills lie ahead.

Miles of forest lie burned to the ground, and now you can see the flames licking a thousand feet in the air in the hills beyond, darkening the skies with it’s smoke. The breeze at your back and the forest consumed, it seems safe enough to approach.

Cresting a small rise you see the fire’s heart, burning atop a thousand acres or more of unaffected trees at the center of this desolation. The land, hidden from the sun by smoke is visible in the orange glow of the great fire, it’s heat uncomfortably warm on your face even a mile away.

A small part of a great forest, full of smoke and heat, with trees crowned with flame.

Centuries ago, the Necromancer King created a vast army of undead and was poised to sweep over the continent. His intent was to destroy and subjugate, enslaving the nations of the world and ruling over all.

The free peoples of the continent joined forces and defeated him by a small margin of victory. Their losses were huge, but the Necromancer King’s army was destroyed, his tower was pulled down, and his body dismembered, burned to ashes, and the ashes scattered.

In all the time I’ve played 3e, I’ve seen numerous metamagic feats used that increase the effect of the spells they are applied to. Empower, Widen, Extend, Quicken, Heighten (though IMC all casters get this one free)… but I’ve never seen Silent Spell or Still Spell used.

This suggests to me that these two feats are perhaps underpowered for their cost. I am considering replacing both feats with the following:

Subtle Spell [Metamagic]

Benefit: Applying this metamagic feat to a spell removes the need for one of the Verbal or Somatic components, decided at the time of casting. This increases the level of spell slot needed to cast the spell by one level.

Special: This feat cannot remove the verbal component of a bard spell.

Improved Subtle Spell [Metamagic]

Benefit: Applying this metamagic feat to a spell removes the need for both Verbal and Somatic components. This increases the level of the spell slot needed to cast the spell by one level.

Special: This feat cannot remove the verbal component of a bard spell.